Nearly 40 percent of junior-high school students who reported being sexually active said they did not use contraception the last time they had sex, the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) said in a report on Thursday.
The report, which collected about 5,700 valid responses in 2018 to investigate health-related behaviors among adolescents, showed that the number of junior-high school students who were sexually active rose 2.3 percent from a decade ago to 5.7 percent.
Past reports showed that 70 to 80 percent of female junior-high school students who had sex used birth control, but the rate dropped to 61 percent in 2018, the latest report showed.
Sex without contraceptives, such as condoms, can lead to unwanted pregnancies and brings a higher risk of sexually transmitted diseases, HPA Maternal and Child Health Division director Tseng Kuei-chin (曾桂琴) said, adding that females who have sex at an early age have an increased risk of cervical cancer.
The increased rate of sexual intercourse among junior-high school students in the nation could be linked to the overwhelming quantity of pornography online, with some content giving teenagers misconceptions about sex, Tseng said, citing another HPA report from 2018.
The report showed that at least four out of 10 teenagers had been exposed to pornography, among whom more than 50 percent said that the first time they were exposed to it was when they were 10 to 13 years old.
Parents should spend more time with their children and pay attention to their interpersonal relationships, Tseng said.
It is important to teach them well and such conversations should not be embarrassing, she said.
In other news, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said that 9,183 cases of sexual assault were reported last year, including cases where the same person reported an assault more than once, with 833 reportedly committed by people they met on the Internet.
“Many thought the person they were meeting online would be their Prince Charming, but it was actually the Big Bad Wolf,” Department of Protective Services Deputy Director Kuo Tsai-jung (郭彩榕) said.
Last year, 8,160 people reported sexual assaults, 4,267 of whom were minors aged 12 to 18, 396 of whom were allegedly assaulted by someone they met online, ministry statistics showed.
Teenagers should not share their personal information online and never take or upload private photos, Kuo said, adding that it is safer not to meet strangers on the Internet in person.
If teenagers have sent private pictures or videos to strangers, it is important that they do not blame themselves too much, even if the material is spread online, Kuo said.
Parents must support their children at times like this, as the minor is a victim and “it should not be the fault of the victim,” she said.
The ministry has established the Institute of Watch Internet Network, which offers online safety education, including dealing with online sharing of private pictures and videos.
After receiving such complaints, the institute contacts the police immediately and if the content is posted on a foreign platform, cooperates with international non-governmental organizations to demand the removal of the content, it said.
The ministry’s 113 hotline, which allows people to report or ask questions about domestic violence, sexual assault or harassment, can also provide protection in a timely manner, the institute said.
UPGRADE: The Kang Ding-class frigate is replacing its Chaparall missiles with Tien Chien II and Hua Yang VLS, which would provide it with long-range, 360° air defense Taiwan plans to produce 1,200 to 1,376 Hai Chien II missiles (海劍二, Sea Sword II) — also known as TC-2N — to serve as the standard air defense system of the navy’s surface combatant fleet, a source said yesterday. Last week, the Hai Chien II, the naval version of the Tien Kung II missile (天劍二, Sky Sword II), completed a live-fire test in waters off the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology’s Jiupeng facility (九鵬) in Pingtung County’s Manjhou Township (滿州). The MIM72 Chaparral and other dated air defense missiles that currently arm Taiwanese ships have inadequate range to combat Chinese
REASONS FOR TRAVEL: An assistant professor said that proposed amendments to penalize drivers if they used drugs overseas would not deter people from traveling People who operate a motor vehicle under the influence of marijuana would have their driver’s license revoked, even if they used the substance while overseas, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday, citing proposed amendments to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例). The amendments would also authorize the government to revoke the licenses of people determined to have used Category 1 or Category 2 narcotics, even if they were not operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs, as well as ban them from taking the license test for three years, the ministry said. People aged 18 or
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
Johanne Liou (劉喬安), a Taiwanese woman who shot to unwanted fame during the Sunflower movement protests in 2014, returned to Taiwan last night after being deported from the US. She is to stand trial in Taiwan for charges involving embezzlement, fraud and drug crimes. The Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said it took her into custody at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and would first question her before transferring her to the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office. She was arrested upon disembarking a flight from San Francisco that landed shortly before 7pm. Liou absconded to the US in 2019 after jumping bail
RSS